Used-Car-Buying 101 - need answer soonish

In My Humble Opinion
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My husband and I have owned a total of 9 cars (I think) in our lives.

All of them but the first 2 (his first, and my first) have been bought new. Neither of us were involved in either of those used car purchases. My parents bought mine from friends of theirs; I don’t know how his parents got his. In both cases, it was what they could afford.

Our daughter is about to get her driver’s license (longish story, but she FINALLY was motivated to get lessons). We’ve promised to help her get her first car - our parents did for us, and our son has our old CRV.

This may need to happen in the next 4ish weeks, given when we’re next supposed to visit her (she lives 500 miles away). I mean, it could happen at any time, but would require us to make a second trip.

We want to get something reliable - unlike either of our first cars (an AMC Hornet, and a Fiat 128). We have enough money to make a large down payment on a newer / better vehicle, or maybe pay cash for an older, potentially more problematic one.

But honestly, I’ve got zero clue how to start, and how to make sure we don’t get too badly rooked.

A private sale would be cheaper but then you’re trusting the seller to tell the truth (even with inspection, things can be hidden). A dealership will be more, still the risk of hidden flaws, and there are those scammy “we want to make more profit” fees as someone here mentioned quite recently. Rental cars are often recommended - they may be relatively high mileage, but are generally adequately maintained. Government fleet vehicles are another option for well maintained.

But I don’t know where to begin!

The only absolute requirement will be that it should be reliable. We’ve been Honda owners for ages, but certified Hondas are spendy as hell. Oh, and I will never own another Chrysler (both of the most trouble-riddled cars we’ve owned from new were Chrysler).

HInts?

2

How tough can it be to tell if an odometer has been tampered with? Just looking at Civics at Carvana, I see a 2012 with 70K miles, and a 2015 with 35K miles. Those seem pretty darned low (to be fair, a friend of mine has a 10 year old Civic with barely over 50K miles on it, but I know her and she’s owned it from new).

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You may pay a little more but to be nearly guaranteed a car that is mechanically sound and to have no hassle, just go to Carmax if there is one near enough to you. There is also Carvana which is supposed to be similar but I have no experience with them.

4

Seconding Carmax. No bullshit, no haggling, no mysterious add-on fees, the price listed is the price you will pay, plus taxes, tags, title, and registration of course.

You could also try TrueCar, or if you have CostCo their car buying service is included in membership. AAA, AARP, Sam’s Club, and other services you may already have also have car buying services, but they are all just using TrueCar. You could try your insurance company, but if they have a program it’s likely also just through TrueCar. TrueCar costs you nothing anyways, the dealers pay for the service.

5

You can buy any Carmax car nationwide and for a couple hundred bucks they’ll deliver it to the Carmax store nearest your daughter. If you pay for it, then all she needs to do is show up, sign, and drive off.

You don’t ever have to see the car at all. They’re that good.

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I personally recommend CarMax. Quite reasonable prices, good warranty, and the smoothest, least unpleasant car buying experience I’ve ever had.

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Consumer reports lists overall reliability ratings of auto manufacturers- currently Jeep, VW, Rvian, Mercedes and Chrysler are the bottom five- do not buy any of those .

Anything in the top ten is generally a safe buy. Now, if you have a trusted mechanic- he might have a car or two to sell.

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Another thumbs-up for Carmax. We used Carvana for selling my FIL’s car and it was also easy and no-hassle - I suspect their car buying process is similar.

In any case, shopping for a car, used or new, starts with some research - you need to know what you want to buy -BEFORE- going to any dealership. The easiest way to be taken by the slime-ball dealership tactics is going in without a specific vehicle in mind and without a game plan. These days, there are a ton of online resources to help you narrow down what specific car may be appropriate for your needs/requirements, and what you should expect to pay - so that is where I would recommend you start: KBB.com, AutoTrader, Cars.com, etc., and then searching Carmax/Carvana for the specific model/features you arrive at.

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Is your budget $10k or more like $25-30k? If closer to the higher number, I’d stick to dealers/pros but look for private sales when a lower cost car.

If you can swing it financially, I don’t think anyone will strongly argue with a CPO Honda or Toyota for a first time-but-responsible car owner. I lovelovelove my Mazda3 and personally put it on the same top tier.

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The OP needs to think hard about whether they value cheap price, easy selection and purchase process, or high likelihood of not unwittingly buying a clunker.

Saying “all of the above” is fun, but facile. There are real tradeoffs to be made here.

It happens I’m shopping for a used car right now. I’m in Miami and the current front runner is in Chicago. Slightly inconvenient.

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Another recommendation for CarMax. But not yet mentioned is that you have 30 days and 1,000 miles (IIRC) to test drive the car, and you can return it no questions asked. You will, however, have to pay sales tax and, of course, buy insurance.

Research good used cars in your price range. Find used cars with a solid quality and reliability reputation. That won’t be a guarantee of course, but it does increase the likelihood that the car you get will be good. Then, shop at CarMax and buy one of those. Even if you have to ship it from far away it’ll be an investment in quality for you to get a good car. Then buy it, and drive it for weeks before giving it to your daughter. You should test drive it during those 30 days, not your daughter. You have the experience to know if something is a bad problem, or if it’s just a minor tic that’s livable.

CarMax is your friend!

I did this last December, to replace my dead-last-October beloved Jeep Grand Cherokee. I found a 2015 equipped just the way I wanted it, in Ohio. I payed for shipping to California, and I bought it. During those 30 days I logged the problems it had, and this experience reminded me of Jeep’s poor reliability and quality. My logged problems list grew to be fairly long. After 20 days and about 400 miles, I returned it and got all my money back (of course not taxes, license and registration, and shipping). I then bought a new 2024 Subaru Outback (or, OB). I owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee for 11 years before that, and 195,000 miles. The Jeep is (was) very capable on the trails, more capable than my OB, but the OB is decently capable off-road, and I definitely do not miss the check engine light!

CarMax is your friend. Good luck.

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Nobody mentioned a pre purchase inspection? Even if buying it remotely, you should have one of those. In 2020, I bought my Volvo from a dealer in Virginia (I’m in Michigan). I researched European mechanics in the area, called and asked if I could have the car inspected by one, arranged for the dealer to drop it off, and got a good report back. It cost around $100 at the time. Then I had the car shipped and it’s been a great vehicle.

Get it inspected. By an independent mechanic. Don’t take a dealers checklist showing they already inspected it. Insist on your own.

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Because we pretty much all suggested CarMax and it’s not necessary if you buy from them.

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Does CarMax still do the 30 day warranty? Get it inspected after you buy it, and have any problems fixed.

15

Carvana has had numerous problems in numerous states of not delivering title, either at all or in a timely fashion so you can’t register it or legally drive it.

State laws do differ & I’ve never bought & returned a car but any purchase that I’ve ever made & then returned I was also refunded tax. I’ve even bought clothing in one state & returned it in another (that doesn’t charge tax on clothing) & got the tax back. At first the clerk was confused because he’s not used to seeing tax on a return receipt because he’s not used to seeing tax on a purchase receipt. Are you sure the dealer didn’t pull a fast one on you by keeping the tax?

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It absolutely is if you’re gonna have to pay shipping, state fees, and insurance. There are plenty of problems that can be masked for 30 days and 1000 miles but would be apparent to a good mechanic.

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Yes I may have gotten the tax back. I may have misremembered.

18

Do they work for used cars also?

When we last shopped (for a new car) their prices were no better than we c ould get on our own.

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Yes, you can get a used car through them.

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